


I wouldn’t have it any other way

by CocotteJenn



Series: Other Dragon Age One-Shots [2]
Category: Dragon Age (Video Games), Dragon Age - All Media Types, Dragon Age II
Genre: Brother-Sister Relationships, Family Feels, Family Fluff, Gen, Post-Act 1, Templar Carver Hawke, very light angst
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-10-29
Updated: 2018-10-29
Packaged: 2019-08-01 22:30:26
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,675
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16293026
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CocotteJenn/pseuds/CocotteJenn
Summary: The Hawke siblings have a yearly tradition. Belinda intends to uphold it even if it means dragging her little brother out of the Gallows.





	I wouldn’t have it any other way

**Author's Note:**

  * For [no_id_no_person](https://archiveofourown.org/users/no_id_no_person/gifts).



> This is a birthday gift for my dear friend @no-id-no-person on Tumblr, starring her wonderful Belinda Hawke.

It was a Hawke family tradition. Every year, the three siblings would bake a pie. Then, they would sit on the shore of the Drakon River and eat the product of their labour. Belinda and Carver had continued doing it after their arrival in Kirkwall. That first year, they had sat on the docks, overlooking the Gallows, the imposing fortress looming over the horizon. But now, Bethany was gone and Carver had left home to join the Templars. She decided it wouldn’t matter. If her brother couldn't make the trip to Hightown, she would go to him. Even if it meant stepping in the worst place in Thedas. That was how she found herself travelling to the Gallows, on this beautiful autumn morning. As usual, her brother was nowhere in sight. Knight-Commander Meredith kept him under lock and key it seemed. The thought made her queasy.   
  
Belinda found the Knight-Captain standing guard in his usual spot, by the massive stairway leading up to the fortress. She made a beeline for him, steeling herself not to show him how much this place weighed on her. “Knight-Captain Cullen!” She waved and smiled like a proper lady.   
  
He flashed her a toothy grin. “Hawke,” he greeted her. “A pleasure to see you, as always. Is there anything I can help you with?”   
  
No need to beat around the bush. She didn't feel like staying in this place longer than necessary. “I came to see my brother.”   
  
Cullen shifted on his feet, visibly uncomfortable with the idea of letting a civilian walk freely around the Gallows. She made a pleading face, with a pout that had always melted her parents’ hearts as a child. He rubbed the back of his neck and sighed in resignation. “I don’t believe he started his shift yet. Wait here. I’ll see what I can do.” And with that, he was gone, leaving Belinda alone in the almost empty courtyard.   
  
She sat on the stone steps of the ancient prison, tapping her foot impatiently as she waited for Cullen to return with her brother. It took longer than she expected before they finally rounded up the corner. She had been close to leaving after a templar started glaring at her like a wolf ready to slaughter a sheep. The slowly increasing number of armed men filling up the courtyard was making her more and more nervous by the minute. Thankfully, the wait was now over.   
  
Belinda rose to her feet in a quick movement before running to meet her younger sibling. “Carver!”   
  
She stopped short of bumping into him. “Sister! Maker’s breath!” He seemed taller than he had been the last time they had seen each other, and his shoulders broader. Or perhaps she had forgotten how big he was, to begin with. “Is everything alright?” he asked, concern written all over his face. “Did something happen?”   
  
She frowned, not having expected this reaction from him. “Why wouldn't I be alright?”   
  
Cullen gave the two of them a polite nod before returning to his spot. Carver waited until he was out of earshot to speak again.   
  
“Then what are you doing here? You shouldn't be here. If anyone-” He stopped himself before he might reveal that his sister was a mage. Even with the Knight-Captain a good twenty feet away, the Gallows were not a safe place to have this kind of conversation.   
  
“Let me guess, you just got out of bed,” she teased Carver. That certainly would explain what took him so long. “Or have you forgotten what day it is?” Rummaging through her pack, she produced a small bundle of cloth. The sweet aroma emanating from it tickled her taste buds.   
  
His frown deepened. “Of course not!” he mumbled, looking down at his feet. “I just didn't think you’d want to do it now that, you know.” _Now that I’m a templar_ , he meant to say.   
  
She put a comforting hand on his broad shoulder. “We talked about this. I’m not angry. I know how hard this must have been for you.” He lifted his head up to meet her gaze. “But you’re still my little brother, whether you like it or not.”   
  
His lips curled up into a smile that warmed her heart. “And I wouldn’t have it any other way.”   
  
“So, shall we?” She gestured toward the colossal arch as an invitation to follow her.   
  
“I can't stay with you long,” he apologized as they made their way out of the courtyard. “My shift starts in less than an hour.”   
  
Belinda couldn't disguise her disappointment. It had been months since they had last seen each other. She had hoped for more than a fleeting moment with her little brother.   
  
“I'll take whatever I can get,” she told him with a reassuring smile, wrapping her arm around his shoulder.   
  
They sat at the edge of the docking bay, on the spot where they had made their first step into Kirkwall a couple of years ago. Belinda unwrapped the small bundle, revealing a still warm apple pie. She sniffed the air. The sweet smell made her empty stomach grumble with anticipation. Carver reached for the pastry, his eyes glinting with childlike eagerness. She swatted his hand away. “Have the templars trained all manners out of you?”   
  
He rolled his eyes. “It’s going to get eaten one way or another,” he said as she took a knife from her pack and proceeded to cut a piece for him. He took it from her greedily. His enthusiasm was heartwarming, she thought as she bit into her own slice with hunger. “It's a lot better than last year’s,” he commented, mouth still half full.   
  
“Last year we couldn't afford good quality ingredients,” she reminded him.   
  
“And Gamlen’s rusty oven didn’t help. It was both undercooked and burnt to a crisp!”   
  
She chuckled. “Yes, that too.”   
  
Carver finished his slice in only a few bites while she had barely eaten half of hers. “Do you have anything to wash it down?” he asked as he swiped the crumbs off his sugar-coated mouth.   
  
“What kind of sibling do you take me for?” She searched through her pack and handed him a bottle of ale. He took it but did not open it. It took Belinda a few seconds to understand he was expecting her to have brought glasses. “Are you joking? Five minutes ago, you were ready to dig into my freshly baked pie with your bare hands!”   
  
“Good mannered people don't drink directly from the bottle. Mother would have brought glasses.”   
  
“Mother might not have brought ale at all.”   
  
They laughed together. It felt good to be in his company again. Just like old time, she thought, but with less bickering. The day was still young, though.   
  
“Speaking of Mother,” he sighed, his face taking a serious expression. “You should tell her to stop sending me so many letters. The Knight-Commander might start to get suspicious and I…” He looked away, a deep frown barring his face. “I don't want the Templars to come knocking at your door.”   
  
“If I tell her that, she'll start coming here instead,” she assured him. “Unless... Perhaps you could visit every once in a while too. It would put her mind at ease. And mine as well.”   
  
“I can’t make any promises. The Order is keeping me busy. But I suppose I can try.”   
  
“I’ll make it worth your while,” she negotiated as he was serving himself a second slice of pie. “I’ll bake you a fresh one every time you visit. I'm sure the Circle’s pastries aren’t as good as mine.”   
  
“No-one’s pie can compare to yours, Sister.”   
  
“Yours could if you put a little more effort into them. You’re one of the very few people in Thedas who actually know the famous Amell-Hawke secret recipe after all.”   
  
He snickered. “I’m afraid my duties don't leave me much time to hone my baking skills,” he admitted, taking a huge bite into his mouth. “But who knows? Maybe next year I'll be the one bringing you a pie.”   
  
“That would be a nice surprise.”   
  
They ate in silence for a while, staring at the horizon. Beyond Kirkwall, beyond the giant chains, beyond the sea was Ferelden. No matter how hard they tried to make a name for themselves in Kirkwall, it was still their home. She missed it sometimes. She missed Lothering, Father and Bethany. She missed running along the river with her siblings. “I miss you, you know,” she confessed. “It isn't the same without you. It's… too quiet.”   
  
Carver snorted. “If you’d like I could try getting on your nerves. I’m sure I could find something to bitch about.”   
  
She gave his shoulder a light punch. “Not today, remember? That’s the number one rule: no fighting, especially each other.”   
  
He cackled. “When has that ever stopped us?”    
  
His laughter was infectious, and soon, she echoed him heartily. If only this moment could last forever. But the sound of approaching footsteps quieted them. Belinda looked over her shoulder. It was Cullen. He cleared his throat and Carver stood up reluctantly. “Your shift starts in ten minutes,” the Knight-Captain said, giving them an apologetic look.   
  
Carver extended a hand to help his sister get up. “Looks like duty calls.”   
  
_No, not yet! Please! Just a little while longer…_ She took his hand with a resigned sigh and pulled him into a strong embrace. “Take care of yourself, little brother.”   
  
His grip tightened around her body. “You too, Sister.”    
  
“Keep the pie.” She stepped away from him and smiled, trying to hold back some tears. “A little taste of home.”   
  
“Thank you.” He reached over and patted her shoulder, giving her a reassuring smile. “And happy birthday, Belinda.”   
  
She waited until he was out of sight before jumping into the ferry that would take her back to Kirkwall. She wondered what her other friends were up to on this fine day. Trouble, if she knew them at all. But she was fine with it. She had grown to enjoy their shenanigans.   
  



End file.
